The work in the platform for
ultrastructural microscopy (PFMU) consists of high resolution
ultrastructural analysis aimed at answering scientific questions
in collaboration with departments of the Pasteur Institute and
with other research establishments such as: INSERM, CNRS,
laboratories from different Universities, Curie Institute, Necker
Hospital, National Center of Reference and the International
network of Pasteur Institutes.

Within these projects, new approaches and
technologies are implemented or developed to obtain the best
performances when answering to specific questions.

The morphological expertise of
the platform lies in the following areas:

The investigation of frozen
hydrated specimen such as viruses, bacteria, proteins and
liposomes and the study of proteins/liposomes interaction by
cryo-electron microscopy.

Technological developments

Implementation of cryo
preparation/new aspects of cryomicroscopy

“Cryo-scanning”
in scanning electron microscopy

High pressure freezing
(cryo-fixation), leading to an improvement of the sample
structural preservation

Cryo-electron microscopy of
vitreous sections (CEMOVIS)

In addition, the PFMU offers
service activities for rapid diagnosis of agents responsible for
new emerging diseases.

Within the institute, the PFMU
offers training sessions for users to become autonomous in sample
preparation as well as in the samples analysis.

Outside the institute, the
PFMU participates in the organization of workshops for a wider
audience as the CNRS training workshop « electron
microscopy and AFM applied to DNA-protein complexes »,
co-organized with the UMR 8126 of the IGR (Villejuif) or
theCEMOVIS course with the University
of Paris-Sud within the multi-level program in the GDR
« Structural analysis in Cryo-electron
Microscopy ».

At the end of 2007 the PFMU, as
part of the Imagopole, has obtained the ISO 9001 certification,
issued by the French Association for the Improvement and Quality
management (AFAQ).